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Introduction
Leedy and Ormrod (2005, p. 56) continued to pose that research is usually a procedure by which individuals attempt to find answers to questions systematically and with support of empirical facts. Research involves systematic investigation of an issue of interest or event to bring forth new knowledge (Marshall & Rossman 1999, 56).
Research is a process of discovery that is well ordered and guided by specified procedures. This is a process that adheres to a given research protocol. In other words, a scientific research must take a specific form in terms of procedure. This paper will address issues related to scientific research such as methodologies, theoretical and conceptual literatures, and data analyses (Rubin & Rubin 2005, p.1).
Scientific Research
As earlier stated, research is related to collection of massive data. Scientific research is a technical term restricted to investigations that meet specific requirements. The investigations undertaken scientifically are guided by scientific philosophies. In other words, researchers try to situate research within the terrain of science.
This implies that a scientific philosophy is combined with the method. Internationally, experts accept or discard research findings after subjecting them to certain scientific philosophies (Silverman 2001, p. 21). Globally, research is only guided by one conventional method, which is the scientific method. Emphasis is on how the research is planned and executed.
Every research is carefully evaluated to establish the extent to which it adheres to the scientific procedures. The scientific community is made up of individuals who are well trained in the scientific methods in their own fields. This means that they have the expertise or the capacity to assess any research project and give a fair verdict in terms of quality.
According to Kothari (2004, p. 13), scientific method is defined by various characteristics. For instance, a scientific method should rely on empirical evidence. This is the evidence obtained through the use or application of human senses. For example, a researcher may claim that he or she knows something because he or she observed it.
Conversely, scientific method dismisses speculations. This implies that it is accurate and based on testable evidence. Moreover, scientific research seeks to capture the objective truth not a subjective fact. For this reason, young researchers are encouraged to control all forms of human biases in order to understand the social world accurately.
It is factual that each human being has values and tastes. For instance, youths are affiliated to various political parties, religions, foods and ways of dressing. Kothari cautions that these values should not be transferred to the process of research. A researcher should always strive to be neutral. This could mean that he or she should make assumptions without considering personal opinions.
Kothari continued to posit that scientific research resorts to probabilistic prediction of events that are likely to occur in a specified future. Researchers explain a phenomenon and predict its occurrence using probability. In doing so, mathematical or statistical models are applied. The statistical models predict events within specific levels of confidence.
In addition, scientific research entails adherence to specific methodological procedures or protocols, such as topic selection, stating the problem, site selection and sampling correspondence. Finally, the ultimate aim of scientific research is to generalize research findings that eventually constitute scientific theories.
Research Process
Research is a complex process with various steps. Steps are analyzed procedurally though the process is to be viewed as complex. The main aim of research is to collect, analyze data and explain the reality using the collected data.
Introduction
It is the first step in any research process. It has various components. The first step in this stage of research is formulating the research problem. Scholars note that scientific research must start with identifying the problem. A research problem should have some specific questions that the research aspires to answer. For instance, the researcher should state clearly, why he or she would initiate the study.
The researcher needs to explain clearly, what the study would be trying to investigate. There are three sources of research problem. The first is the need to solve a research problem. Again, the researcher would be seeking to test and validate the existing theories or concepts. Finally, the researcher might be seeking to modify methodological principles.
Formulation of a research problem entails two aspects. One of it is to comprehend the problem thoroughly while the other one is to rephrase the same problem into a frame. This would allow an analytical scrutiny of the problem. In this stage, the researcher should formulate a statement of objective, which outlines and determines the data to be collected, the features of relevant and the relationships to be analyzed in the research. This is important for the researcher as it influences the techniques to be applied and the form of the final report.
Some factors are considered when identifying a human condition as problematic. One of the factors is the norms and standards of society. In this regard, the researcher should understand the expected behavior in society. Another aspect to be taken into consideration is the existing behavior or conditions, as they apply to various categories of individuals. These should be compared with the standards in order to determine discrepancies. Compliance and deviation from norms raises research questions.
Literature Review
Literature review pertains to cross-examining what other scholars have done in the field of study. This is based on the idea that knowledge is cumulative. Revisiting other people’s ideas and thoughts help in formulating both theoretical and conceptual frameworks. In this many studies, the researcher employ some theories, which are part of theoretical literature. Conceptual literature are usually revisited by scrutinizing what other researchers have concluded in their studies regarding.
Literature review is important because it offers a foundation to any study. Generally, literature review is related to determining how much is known. It is important because it keeps away unnecessary duplication of data and gives more knowledge to the researcher. The researcher can only avoid mistakes committed by other researchers if he/she reviews literature. Therefore, review of literature helps a researcher to formulate a study that stands the taste of time.
Literature review is based on the notion that knowledge is cumulative hence, it is important for the researcher to understand what exists before conducting a study. The essence of research is to understand deeply the existing phenomenon. In research, nothing is new. In this case, the research deals with both theoretical and empirical literature. Data can actually be obtained from books, journals, government publications and other relevant sources.
Review entails collection and synthesis of existing information that is related to the research problem. A researcher should perform a critical review where strengths and weaknesses are identified. Throughout the process, the researcher should keep records carefully. Literature review has some purposes that a researcher would wish to discern and pay attention to.
For instance, the researcher should be careful with what has been done in a particular area of study. He or she should ask him or herself whether existing literature contain discussions about what is known. The researcher should ask him or herself the theoretical perspective that the problem depicts. In this regard, the researcher should analyze the methods used by other scholars, as well as their findings.
Research Methodology
This chapter focuses on various aspects of research development. It includes methods of data collection, analysis and presentation. Every research project applies a certain research method to achieve its objectives depending on its goals.
The methods used to conduct research various projects compare closely with the methods proposed in project proposals (Strauss & Corbin 1990, P. 191). In scientific research, a design tackles primarily the objectives, uses, principles, targets, and strategies within the practical constraints of time, location, money, and availability of staff. In many studies, respondents are usually briefed in advance. The study population is also amicably informed in order to get prepared for the study. Briefing is important because it enhances reliability of the study.
Ethical Coniderations
It is also ethical to inform people before researching on them. The findings are also made public to the researched as one way of ensuring morality in the study. Furthermore, the researcher should observ researcher-researcher ethics by keeping away from criticism (Patton 1990, p. 112).
Data Collection
It is advisable in social science inquiries to employ mixed methods because multi-method studies recommend, determine and test hypotheses; offer new approaches to compound incidents; permit the researcher to tackle practical and strategy problems from the standpoint of figures and descriptions, and finally add rigidity to the findings (Lee & Esterhuizen 2000, p. 235). Mixed method study talks about those researches or units of analysis that incorporate one or more qualitative and quantitative methods for data compilation and analysis.
Data collection techniques in qualitative research, for instance interrogation, focus groups, or participant surveillance, are currently utilized as tentative (hypothesis formation) chapters (Crotty 2003, p. 12). Mixed methods have the possibility of inventing new themes or acquainting researchers with a certain field. They may perhaps also help in premise construction, particularly when techniques that make up qualitative explorations are employed.
While quantitative techniques may function well in separating and categorizing the correlates linked to discrepancy at particular periods, qualitative methods are mainly superior at achieving insight as regards to processes and actions that causes practical deviation and have the main benefit of giving sudden insight.
Creswell and other scholars made intuitive theoretical structure pertaining to mixed methods, mainly concerning issues of excellence (Creswell 2003, p. 56). Mixed methods not only enlarge the study toolbox, they as well offer the chance for fusion of study customs and offer the researcher extra viewpoints and insights that are past the span of any solitary method.
Analyzing the quantitative and qualitative facts, popularly referred to as mixed analysis is perhaps the most intricate. The investigator should not only be proficient in carrying out a collection of quantitative and qualitative studies but also aware of how to combine and even entrench these analyses (Churchill & Lacobucci 2004, p. 89).
The illustration entails restructuring qualitative and quantitative evaluations as either variable-oriented or case-oriented analyses. For quantitative part, the researcher will utilize chi-square since it allows hypothesis testing while constant comparison will be applied for qualitative research.
Data Analysis
Validity and Reliability
Reliability means appropriateness, applicability and truthfulness of a study. It is the ability of research instruments to produce results that are in agreement with theoretical and conceptual values (Marczyk, DeMatteo & Festinger 2010, p. 31). In research, internal validity would be ensured through checking the represenativeness of the sample. The researcher should ensure that the sample used captures all important aspects relating to what is being measured.
The researcher is to ensure that there is no form of bias when receiving data from respondents (Clarke 1998, p. 67). The respondents are to be treated equally, irrespective of their level of education or their seniority in the society. External validity would be ensured through triangulation that is, the researcher would use more than one technique in collecting data. External validity can also be guaranteed by asking respondents to give their views (Blank 2004, p. 188).
Validity means that the study is consistent and lacks any ambiquity. It is related to the accuracy of instruments that is, how accurate the measuring device is in measuring what it claims to measure (Hakim 2000, p. 67). In scientific research, it would be achieved through increasing verifiability of the perspective. The researcher would adopt the principles of coherence, opennes and discourse in order to guarantee reliability. The methodology employed by the researcher should be practical and simple to understand.
Presentation of Results
There are several interesting observations made in the process of data collection. The observations include those made from the literature review and those made from analysis of data collected through the questionnaires (Russell & Ryan 2009, p.56).
In this section, the two sources of data present the categories used for disseminating the findings. In the first case, the information covers the information retrieved from various academic sources such as journals, reports, and books on issues. In the second section, the attitudes and thoughts of respondents form the basis of the report as covered by the questionnaire are presented in the same way (Creswell 2003, p. 12).
Conclusion
Research methodology is an important aspect of any research because it determines the successfullness of any study. Many studies employ quantitative research method because it is usually interested in summarizing facts mathematically. Questionnaires are usually utilized in colecting data because they can easily be mailed to respondents.
The researcher always ensures that validity and reliability are catered for in the study. Furthermore, the researcher uses deductive approach because it utilizes available information first before moving to the field to confirm the results. Positivism is usually employed as a paradigm for understanding the research.
List of References
Blank, G 2004, “Teaching qualitative data analysis to graduate students”, Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 22, no. 2, pp 187-196.
Churchill, G & Lacobucci, D 2004, Marketing Research with Infortrac: Methodological Foundations, Southwestern Publications, New York.
Clarke, A 1998, “the qualitative-quantitative debate: moving from positivism and confrontation to post-positivism and reconciliation”, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 27, no. 6, pp 1242-1249.
Creswell, J 2003, Research design: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, Sage, Thousand Oaks.
Crotty, M 2003, The Foundations of Social Research: meaning and perspective in the research process, Sage, London.
Hakim, C 2000, Research Design: Sucessful Designs for Social and Economic Research, Routledge, New York.
Kothari, R 2004, Research methodology: methods and techniques, New Age International, India.
Lee, R & Esterhuizen, L 2000, “Computer software and qualitative analysis: Trends, issues, and responses”, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Vol. 3, no. 1, pp 231-243.
Leedy, P & Ormrod, J 2005, Practical Research: Planning and Design, Pearson, Prentice Hall.
Marczyk, G, DeMatteo, D & Festinger, D 2010, Essentials of Research Design and Methodology, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Marshall, C & Rossman, B 1999, Designing qualitative research, Sage, Newbury Park.
Patton, M 1990, Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, Sage, Newbury Park.
Rubin, H & Rubin, H 2005, Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data, Sage, Thousand Oaks.
Russell, B & Ryan, G 2009, Analyzing Qualitative Data: Systematic Approaches, Sage London.
Silverman, D 2001, Interpreting qualitative data: methods for analyzing talk text and interaction, Sage, London.
Strauss, A & Corbin, J 1990, Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques, Sage Publications, Newbury Park.
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